WITH two beauty titles under her belt, Alanta Richards believed she had a good shot at being crowned Miss England. But she was forced to pull out after being left partially PARALYSED after a meningitis scare. Alanta, 18, says she is unable to feel her left leg properly and relies on crutches to get around after a highly invasive procedure to check for the disease.
She said: “I’m still really suffering. “I can’t do any of the things I love anymore like horse riding and I can hardly feel my left leg at all. “It’s got no reflex reaction and one side of my body is much weaker than the other.
I’ve no idea what’s happened but feel something has gone really wrong. “I’m worried that I will never feel well again.” Alanta believed she had a decent chance at becoming Miss England after getting a second chance at the prize.
She is the current Miss Surrey and also entered as Miss Hampshire 2023. She said: “I was super happy and really excited because I thought I had a good chance this year with it being the second time I’ve competed.” But ten days before last month’s contest she woke up with a blinding headache , sore throat, body pains and a sensitivity to light before her temperature soared to 41 degrees.
She said: "I'd gone to bed with a bit of a headache but when I woke up it was absolutely awful. "There were pains all down my body and my boyfriend Shane couldn't even touch me it was so bad." Alanta called 111 who said they would send an ambulance but whe.
